Coca (Erythroxylum coca), tropical shrub, of the family Erythroxylaceae, the leaves of which are the source of the drug cocaine.

Coca (Erythroxylum coca).

W.H. Hodge

The plant, cultivated in Africa, northern South America, Southeast Asia, and Taiwan, grows about 2.4 metres (8 feet) tall. The branches are straight, and the lively green leaves are thin, opaque, oval, and more or less tapering at the extremities. A marked characteristic of the leaf is an areolated portion bounded by two longitudinal curved lines, one on each side of the midrib, and more conspicuous on the under face of the leaf. The flowers are small and disposed in little clusters on short stalks; the corolla is composed of five yellowish white petals, the anthers are heart-shaped, and the pistil consists of three carpels united to form a three-chambered ovary. The flowers are succeeded by red berries.

The plants thrive best in hot, damp situations, such as the clearings of forests, but the leaves most preferred are obtained in drier localities, on the sides of hills. The leaves are considered ready for plucking when they break on being bent. The green leaves (matu) are spread in thin layers and dried in the sun; they are then packed in sacks, which, in order to preserve the quality, must be kept from damp.

The composition of different specimens of coca leaves is very inconstant. Good samples have a strong tealike odour; when chewed, they produce a sense of warmth in the mouth and have a pleasant, pungent taste. Besides the important alkaloid cocaine, there are several other alkaloids.

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